As a part of week-long celebration ‘Festival of Physics’, Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (BITM), a Unit of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, is due to organise a series of experiment-based Science Demonstrations, during 31 July to 4 August 2023, at the BITM premises. Lectures will be delivered in the morning session (10:00 am – 11:00 am) by science communicators from BITM, followed by the afternoon session (11:30 am – 01:00 pm) by invited Experts - Dr. B. N. Das, Former Professor, Presidency College, Kolkata and Mrs. Moumita Dasgupta, School Coordinator, Podar International School, Howrah. These sessions are meant to provide fascinating insights into Physics, covering core topics and contextualizing the Physics curriculum – as specified in the ICSE/CBSE/WBBSE Class 7-12 syllabus.
The session ‘Thermal Tales’ shows by example the differences between types of heat transfer, types of conductors and scales of temperature measurement. ‘Roundabout Physics’ plays with gyroscopic effect, centrifugal force and anti-gravity wheel. ‘Fun with Fluids’ questions laws of force and pressure with a W-tube, Cartesian diver and Pascal’s communicating tubes. Solenoids, transformers and magnets demonstrate laws of electromagnetic induction in ‘Awesome EMI’. An electric bulb filament glows when it is switched on. But if the glass of the bulb is broken, the filament gets fused, due to oxidation of the filament. The session ‘Frigid Physics’ experiments with dipping such a filament bulb, without the outer glass covering, into liquid nitrogen at -196 degree Celsius. This one does not get fused due to absence of oxygen there. Additionally, interactive demonstrations on the Physical Sciences, Air Pressure, Magnetism, Optics, Mechanics and Rotation are lined up to educate and entertain. Upon request by schools, all sessions may be repeated on a mutually convenient date.
Group enrolment by schools, for minimum 50 and maximum 100 students, accompanied by up to two teachers for each session, is open on first-come-first-served basis at www.bitm.gov.in/festival-of-physics-2023. The sessions are chargeable for student at Rs. 10 per head, in addition to the BITM Entry fees of Rs. 10 per head (Government/Municipal School) or Rs. 20 per head (Private School), as applicable. Entry fees will be waived for valid Institutional Member Schools of BITM, Kolkata.